Shadows
by Sajiri
Summary: Memories of the hatred, pain and fear have faded from her mind, Aya was living a normal life again. But maybe accepting the job of travelling to a tournament with the world champions was a very bad idea
1. Losing Face

_Hiyo, Koduko here. Going to tell you some stuff. This fic was called _Haunted by the Past, _but I couldn't stand that title anymore. Also, I'm rewriting all the chapters I have so far, which would be the first five chapters. Not much, just adding more things in and changing some stuff…_

_Back to what should be said, this fic is set not long after Bakuten Shoot (first season beyblade) so think of the characters in that season's outfits. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade, only Aya and any other characters not recognised in the original series unless I say otherwise _

Chapter 1

A short, thirteen-year-old boy with shaggy brown hair that covered his eyes and large glasses sat on a bench inside a hallway of the Baycity Beystadium, laptop open and typing away furiously at the keys. That was nothing new though, anyone who knew this boy knew enough about him that that was pretty much all he did.

Five months ago the world famous Bladebreakers defeated the Russian beyblade team Neoborg in the world championships at Moscow. It had been a rough battle, their captain and youngest team member had both lost their bitbeasts, and the Neko-jin had been put in hospital with serious injuries. However, they had succeeded in destroying any hope their captain's grandfather had in taking over the world using the stolen spirits that other beybladers possessed and taken the title of World Champions the day Tyson Kinomiya defeated Tala Ivanov.

Ever since then the Bladebreakers were doing their own thing apart from each other. Rei had returned to his hometown in China, teaching other kids the sport that had made him famous. Max was in America visiting his mother and noone really heard from their stoic captain Kai Hiwatari. Apparently he had gone back to his Grandfather's estate but they wouldn't know, he never phoned or wrote.

And Tyson, well he was enjoying the popularity and fans that came with being famous. Kenny had no problem with this. No problem, except that the champion had become bigheaded and overconfident with his beyblading. In his mind, noone could even come close to his skill level.

Today was a good example. There was an amateur beyblade tournament and the Chairman of the BBA had organised that Tyson was to be having an exhibition match with a beyblader of his choice to raise publicity. Tyson thought he would have no trouble at all, but what his mind didn't seem to register was that the opponent Mr Dickinson had organised for him was _not_ an amateur. The Japanese champion, in fact.

The Chief leaned back on the wall and stretched his arms above his head. Waiting around all morning was dreadfully dull. He raised his head at the sound of footsteps coming down the large hallway and saw an old man dressed in a black suit, spectacles in front of his eyes and a brown cane in hand

"Oh Kenny, has Tyson arrived yet?" Mr Dickinson asked as he neared the small boy.

The chief shook his head at the Chairman. "Not yet."

"Hey chief!"

Kenny sighed out loud in relief and Mr Dickinson smiled happily when the World Champ came flying through the doors at top speed, skidding to a stop before them. He was panting hard and they guessed by how red his face was that he probably had run the whole way. Probably slept in again too.

"There you are. Where were you, Tyson? We were getting worried you wouldn't show," Kenny complained to his friend as he stood up and tucked his laptop under his arm.

"I slept in but I'm here now," the navy-haired blader replied. Well, they assumed right.

"Tyson, you always sleep in. I don't think you can use that as an excuse anymore."

"Hey, I don't always sleep in! Well maybe I do but I didn't mean to this time. I even got an alarm clock!" Tyson cried out his excuse.

"So why didn't it go off?"

"Uh…"

"Well?" Kenny tapped his foot on the white floor impatiently, waiting to hear what Tyson would come up with this time.

"Uh, well it did go off. I just kinda broke it after," Tyson said nervously. Kenny wanted to just bash his friend's head right there and then, of course then there would be no way that Tyson could battle if he did that though.

"Tyson…"

"Now now Kenny," Mr Dickinson broke in, placing a hand on the Chief's shoulder to calm him. "Tyson we'll forgive you but you were just lucky that your opponent was gracious enough to wait for you. Your match was scheduled for before the finals began, remember? Not after."

"Oh right," Tyson said slapping his forehead "I better go then, don't want to keep whoever it is again waiting. See ya chief!"

Kenny sighed exasperatedly and began walking in the direction that Tyson had just sprinted off in. "Just once I'd like to see him on time. Just once!"

* * *

"And that's it for the semi-finals!" A boy in the beydish could only watch as his chance of advancing was destroyed as his opponent blasted his green beyblade out of the dish.

Jazzman paused and raised a hand to his earpiece. "Okay folks, I've just been informed that Tyson has finally arrived."

At this name the crowds went wild, yelling and screaming now that they knew the World Champion was there and a good match was soon to follow. "Yeah, you know how it is with celebrities, always late."

In the locker room, there was a teenage girl sitting alone on the wooden bench. She was fiddling with her beyblade as she rolled her eyes at Jazzman's comment and the cheers over the speaker. So easily impressed…

"Better late than never, I guess," she mumbled under her breath to herself as she stood up from the bench, stuffed the black beyblade into her pocket and picked up her customised launcher, heading for the door of the arena.

"Alright folks, the moment you've all been waiting for. Let's welcome the world champion, our very own Tyson Kinomiya!"

The fans erupted into cheers as Tyson jogged out into the arena, waving his arms around crazily at the attention that was all on him and stepped up to the beydish. He was definitely getting caught up in the fandom as he waved out to everyone, foolish grin planted firmly on his face now, still twisting and turning to get a good look at how many people had come to see _him. _

When Tyson had finally decided to stand in one place, Jazzman turned and pointed to the doorway opposite Tyson, "And introducing his opponent, she is Japanese champion, one of our very own also, Ayako Toriyama!"

On the opposite side of the arena, a girl, perhaps 14 years old at most, stepped out receiving her fair share of cries and applause also. Though it was no surprise though, being from Japan they certainly weren't going to boo her.

"Talk to me about Ayako, AJ," Brad Best said to his partner, indicating for him to do the introduction.

"Well, she just came back from Russia a month ago so I guess this is kind of a return match for her. She prefers evasive and fast tactics over a head-on assault but don't underestimate her, she has some mean attacks that can take out opponents in a flash, literally."

"Well we don't call her our champion for nothing AJ."

"Hey there Ayako," Tyson greeted the girl, a cocky grin on his face as he loaded his beyblade to his launcher. "Bet you're pumped for this too."

The girl who stood before him had snow-white hair was tied up in a high ponytail that reached down almost to her waist and hard, dark brown eyes that glared at Tyson even from the distance between them. A black bandana with a red block in the centre and two red stripes either end was tied around her forehead which bound together under her ponytail and a black band with a silver cross hung tightly around her neck. She wore a light brown sleeveless shirt with a hood on the back, dark brown jeans that that were scuffed and ripped on the cuffs and brown leather fore-armguards that cut off at the wrists. But the strange thing was, her pierced ears were somewhat pointed. It reminded him of Rei, though she didn't seem to have the same cat-like appearance so she couldn't be a Neko-jin, could she?

"Uh huh, don't think you can beat me before we battle kid," she said monotonously as she raised her own launcher in front of her, a look of pure determination in her dark eyes.

"But I didn't…hey, rad launcher!" Tyson said as he noticed her suped-up beyblade and launcher.

Aya blinked a few times, surprised by his comment, before a smirk spread across her lips and she spoke again. "Thanks, I modified it myself to give it a faster spin. It's more better and advanced than your…that is a launcher right? That piece of crap?"

Tyson growled at her, she was already getting on his nerves and it had only been about 20 seconds since they met.

"These two aren't wasting anytime on the trash talk. Okay then, let's get down to business. Bladers, 3…2…1…let it rip!" Jazzman cried and the two teens pulled hard on the ripcords, launching their blades into the dish.

Tyson's silver one and Ayako's black one circled the dish a few times before Tyson went on the offensive and drove straight forward to attack Aya. There was no luck in that attack and the black beyblade swerved to the side and circled around to attack from behind. It rammed into Dragoon over and over again, relentlessly attacking like bullets being fired.

"Dragoon, dodge her!" Tyson cried. Sweat beads were pouring down the side of his face at the fact that her speed was so much greater than his own. Dragoon couldn't run.

"Dalfang, don't let him get away!" Ayako demanded and as the silver blade swivelled to the side, she was right there behind him and still attacking.

"Dragoon!" Tyson's beyblade switched back and knocked the other back to the side of the dish. He let out the breath he had been holding in, Ayako may be faster, but he was stronger.

"Heh, how do you like that?" He taunted, now regaining some of his confidence. But something was wrong…

Why did his opponent not look worried or upset at all? She was just standing there, arms folded and staring at him with those dark eyes. And why did she have that triumphant look on her face?

"Big mistake Tyson."

If she was just trying to keep him from thinking he was winning, it sure was working. Now he was getting nervous. "Dragoon, come out. Storm attack!"

"I don't think so, Thunder Strike!" The girl raised her hand for the attack command and bared her teeth.

She had fangs too now?

It all happened so fast, Tyson hadn't even been given a chance to defend himself. There was a bright flash and he only got a brief glimpse of what looked like a giant dog-like creature with large golden wings before Dragoon was sent flying out of the dish.

The commotion died down, and all that was left was a still spinning blade and a battered silver one lying motionless by Tyson's left foot.

"Looks like I win, champ," the victor muttered quietly so he could only just hear, no hint of smugness even in her voice, just venom.

The crowds were stunned at first, not quite sure what had happened. There had been a bright flash and next they could see from the cameras Dragoon was motionless. They had expected a much longer battle than that.

"Er…Ayako is the winner" Jazzman managed to speak, even though he wasn't entirely sure of that last attack, and now the confusion was wearing off the stands broke out into cries of applause for the winner. Not as loud as they would have had Tyson won, though.

Tyson bent down to pick up his beyblade. There were some bits of metal chipped off and it would need some repair work. He didn't know what had happened, it all had been so fast. That last attack had done some damage to Dragoon but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed.

"You should have expected that, after keeping me waiting so long," Ayako's voice broke him out of the trance he was in and he raised his face to glare at her, but she didn't seem fazed at all by the dark look he gave her. Turning her attention out to those in the stands watching, she said louder, "When I face someone, especially a beyblader like you Tyson, I expect them to use everything they've got, not some half-ass attempt to beat me."

This girl had a bad attitude. Many people decided that about Ayako Toriyama that day when she turned her back on the champion and headed back towards the locker room.

"Hey, come back here! We'll have a rematch then if you think you're so good," Tyson yelled angrily at her before she could leave.

"Later, when you're more interested in the match than showing off to your fans," she called back to him, not giving him the respect to actually turn and face him. He watched as the strange girl strided away and out the doors of the arena.

When you're more interested in the match than showing off to your fans. 

It repeated itself in his mind as he stared at the battered beyblade in his hands.

First chapter rewritten for you all. Please review and tell me what you think. Flames will be accepted but you make it completely pointless and I will hunt you down and throw a stick at your head


	2. Second Chance

_Second chapter rewritten. _

_Disclaimer: Don't own it, only any OCs unless I say otherwise _

_Enjoy and review!_

Chapter 2

"Well Tyson, that was quite a match today, wasn't it?" Mr Dickinson said to the two boys that were a part of the BBA representative team. The tournament had finished sometime ago and it was now getting into the late afternoon. The sun had gone down and left the sky a pale orange, only a few dark clouds in the distance. "She's a very talented beyblader, that's why I asked her to battle you."

"You know Tyson, if you had come sooner I could have given you some information on her attacks," Kenny had been upset to see Tyson lose. One because he of course didn't want to see his friends not win, but mainly because he knew Tyson could have defeated her if he had concentrated harder.

"It's not like it would've made a difference," Tyson spoke quietly as they left the stadium and onto the sidewalk.

"I think what she said though was right, despite the language. You have been rather occupied with fans lately," Mr Dickinson said as he stepped into his limo that was parked near the entrance stadium. The doorman paused to close the door while the Chairman leaned out and gave Tyson a serious look. "Perhaps you should concentrate more on the beyblading."

The black car started and then drove out into the busy road. The two boys watched as Mr Dickinson's limo disappeared around a corner before walking down the street towards their own homes. They were silent for a long time, just walking with their heads down in thought.

"Hey Tyson, how about I analyse the data I have tonight of your match and let you know what I have as soon as I can?" Kenny finally piped up as they reached the street corner where they would split up from there.

"Ok, thanks chief. Bye." Even though he put on a cheerful smile and waved, the chief could tell how little Tyson really cared.

"Dizzi we have a lot of work ahead of us tonight so lets get started. Can you bring up that recording of Tyson's battle today?" Kenny placed the laptop down on the desk in his room, dropped down his bag then immediately began typing furiously at the keys.

"What, no hello? Oh fine, here's the file you want," Dizzi's sarcastic voice floated out of the computer to greet him.

"Hmm, now what do we have here…"

* * *

Tyson wandered slowly down the street as he made his way home to the dojo. His eyes were either on the grey pavement below his feet or up in the fading light of the sky. Ever since his battle with Ayako he couldn't stop thinking about what she had said.

Was he really letting himself lose because he was getting caught up in being the world champion? Well, there was one thing for sure. He was lucky that that match had been just for show, else he could just kiss his title goodbye.

A few days had passed and the next Saturday rolled around.

"Hi Tyson!"

"Hi chief, you got a strategy I can use yet?"

"Yeah, don't bother facing her anymore. Girl power!"

"Dizzi!" Kenny scolded the bitbeast in his laptop for her comment. "Well Tyson, I've been researching and this is what I came up with. Ayako has a thunder bitbeast called Barrax," he brought up a 3D image on the screen of a black wolf with large golden wing feathers, three whip-like tails, gold armour with brown markings and a gold streak down it's back. "The attack she used on you is powerful but unpredictable. There isn't much chance you'd avoid it though."

"Wait, she has a bitbeast?" Tyson asked. If she had a bitbeast, that meant that things were about to get more interesting. "And…"

"She can't risk that attack if you get in close."

"Chief, if I do that she just hits me. It's kind of a win-win situation for _her_."

"I know Tyson, but she's been in Russia since the World Championships and I didn't know much about her before she became the Japanese Champ when we were in America," Kenny said as he shut his laptop. He had his eyes down on the ground in thought. "You beat Neoborg, this shouldn't be that hard for you. Her strength isn't that great, as long as she can't use her special attack you should be alright."

"Ok chief," Tyson said and then went silent.

"Is something wrong Tyson?" Kenny asked, concerned about why his friend was suddenly quiet.

"I was just thinking…" Tyson said slowly.

"Yes?"

"Well, Grandpa hasn't gone grocery shopping yet and I'm hungry."

Kenny almost fell over at this. Tyson Kinomiya, 13 years old, world champion, has an appetite that can never be satisfied. Well, it would probably be all right if they went out for lunch. But there was no way going to make the mistake of paying for Tyson's meal again.

After a long two hours of watching Tyson gorge his face later, the two teens were walking past the park on their way back to the dojo. It was almost 1pm, there were only a few clouds in the sky and it was a warm day with a lazy feel to it.

"Mmm, that was the best lunch I've had in ages," Tyson said happily.

"Lunch? Tyson you had at least four!" Kenny cried.

Tyson stopped suddenly and his friend turned around to face him to see what was wrong. It was highly unlikely that he had just insulted him. "Tyson, what is it?"

Tyson started walking again, and soon broke into a run, digging his hand into his pocket and pulling out his beyblade. "Ayako."

"Ayako?"

Just as Tyson had pointed out, practicing in the beydish that was set up in the park was the Japanese Champ, spinning the familiar black beyblade.

"Hey, Ayako!" Tyson said as he came to stand behind her.

The teenage girl raised her eyes from the dish at the sound of that Tyson kid's obnoxious voice. Whipping around to face him, a satisfied grin swept over her face. He was a sore loser wasn't he? "Well well, what do we have here? Do I know you and that freak in the glasses," Ayako teased as she turned around and saw the two boys. "What do you want?"

"A rematch. What else do you think I would want?" Tyson said, angry at the fact she had just insulted them.

Ayako sighed and simply shook her head, her white ponytail swaying slightly in the breeze. "Listen Tyson, I'm not going to battle you if you can't focus on the game."

Tyson blinked in surprise, was that the same girl who sounded so serious then as the one who had been taunting him just a few moments before? "But I am focused."

"No you're not. You just can't take it that I beat you and now you want to prove you're better. Believe me Tyson, I've seen you battle a thousand times and I know you're not that pathetic but I just don't see any point in letting you embarrass yourself again."

"Now who thinks they're better?"

"Huh?" Ayako looked at him, her brown eyes filled with confusion.

"You told me not to assume I was better than you before we battled. What are you doing now?"

Ayako stared at him for a few moments before a slight smirk crept onto her face. "Well I guess you have a point there. Alright Tyson, I'll give you your rematch, just don't say I didn't warn you."

Ayako picked up her beyblade she had been practicing with and loaded it to her launcher while Tyson did the same.

"3…" she started the countdown.

"2…" Tyson said.

"1…"

"Let it rip!" they both yelled and launched their blades.

Tyson immediately went on the offensive heading straight for Ayako only to have her duck to the side. Tyson didn't let this get to him and attacked again.

"Ok Dizzi, lets analyse this battle," Chief said and started setting up the camera on his laptop.

Ayako shifted her eyes from the match to Kenny and then at the camera but immediately brought her attention back to the dish when Tyson used the few moments she was distracted and Dragoon knocked Barrax across the dish but this time followed it up right away with another attack.

Ayako was taken aback at the sight of Tyson taking down Barrax, not giving her a single chance to recover.

"Barrax, Static Flash!" Aya demanded her defensive command in an attempt to gain control of the match.

"Dragoon, don't give her the chance, attack!" Dragoon once again crashed into the black beyblade sending it almost out of the dish and leaving it wobbling violently.

"Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane!" Tyson cried out his final attack and looked into the girl's eyes. He could tell she was getting nervous, and by the look on her face frustrated aswell.

"Thunder Strike!" She commanded. She glared at the world champion, sending him the message that she was not going down without a fight.

Kenny looked up as bolts of lightning surrounded the two bladers and the wind whipped at their clothes and hair. There was a bright flash and the dirt surrounding them flew up to form a dusty cloud around them.

The three in the park coughed as the dust cleared away. They peered into the dish to see both beyblades lying motionless on their sides in the middle of the dish.

"A tie?" Ayako choked out.

Tyson bent down and picked up the two beyblades. He walked over to Ayako and held out his hand. "Great match Ayako."

Ayako looked at him suspiciously before taking the offer and shaking. "Yeah, I guess I was wrong. Great work Tyson." The two grinned at each other and Tyson handed her her beyblade.

"That was great you two! I haven't seen such an intense battle in a long time," Kenny said as he came over.

"Um, excuse me, but why were you filming our battle?" Ayako asked in an agitated tone.

"Oh, I'm Tyson's friend Kenny and I collect data from beybladers all over the world. You've improved so much since the last time I saw you on TV," Kenny said.

"Heh, that's been a while."

"Why?" Tyson asked.

The girl looked him over, as if judging to see if she should tell him or not. "I've been in Russia with family for the last few months and I live with my grandparents since my mother passed away."

"What about your dad, how come you don't live with him?" Tyson asked. Kenny let out a small sound and immediately stepped down hard on Tyson's foot. He knew that was probably a personal issue but it was too late.

"The man abandoned my mother when she first got sick and I haven't seen him since I was a baby, and I hope I never do."

There was an awkward silence that followed, noone really knowing what to say, when Kenny finally spoke up.

"The other day you said you modified your launcher yourself. Is that right?"

"Yep, I do all my own upgrades," Ayako said while perking up a bit.

"Hey that's cool," Tyson said. "You know Ayako, you seem different than you did the other day."

"Uh ha…I get annoyed when I see people kissing up to the crowds."

"Why's that?" Kenny asked while Tyson scowled behind him.

"Well statistically I'm just as good, sometimes better, than other famous beyblade but I don't have the same attention. All the big titles are team shots," she explained.

"So in other words you're jealous," Tyson said.

"I didn't say that."

"Do you have a team Ayako?" Kenny quickly cut in.

"Used to, but we had some problems between us."

"Oh. Sorry Ayako"

"Mm, call me Aya," she said. "Not even my teachers call me Ayako."

Kenny smiled at her and nodded. "Ok, Aya then."

Aya looked up at the sky before pulling a watch with a broken strap out of her pocket. "It's getting late. I need to get back home before the classes start."

"Classes?"

"Yeah, the Toriyama Beyblade School, we own it. Seeya guys," she quickly waved before leaving the two boys alone in the park.

"I know that place, no wonder she's so good," Kenny said thoughtfully while staring in the direction she had just left. When he turned around, he stepped back at the sly grin Tyson was giving him. "What?"

"Could you make it anymore obvious that you _totally _have a crush on her?" he asked.

"I-I do not!"

"Sure chief."

"Really Tyson, this-"

"I think you would make a cute couple."

Kenny blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that. "Tyson, you trapped me with that with Stephanie, I was only trying to keep her away from your throat with the look she was giving you."

"Sure…"

Kenny sighed. Tyson said this every time he spoke to a pretty girl. He could be so immature at times.

_Soooo, what did you think? Don't worry, this story does get better. I'll try to update as soon as I can to get this thing on track. So please, hear an author's plea and review! _


	3. Torture Trainer

_Third chapter, about time I typed it. Sorry guys I'm a big slacker and just had my mind on other things. But I'm getting back into this story and will get it done. (thanks goes to lil-baby-phoenix for telling me to update ;) Also thanks to Araceil for going through and telling me what she thought and fixing my bad grammar._

_Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade or any of its characters. I only own any OCs unless I say otherwise_

_Italics are flashbacks_

_Enjoy and review_

Chapter 3

_The shadows loomed over them on the grey walls. The door burst open; silhouettes of two boys standing in the light outside came through, and stopped to stand behind their leader.  
A girl crouched on the ground, bent over her own pool of blood. It wasn't the first time she'd been beaten, but she knew it would never be the last. Their accusing glares stung her deep but she would not let them cut her down, she was better than that._

"_You're a disgrace," the black-haired boy spat. "You're weak and worthless." The girl, blood-stained strands of hair falling over her tanned face, raised her eyes and fixed him with a hard stare. "But I'll forgive you for this if you hand over the bit chip."_

"_Why?"_

_There was silence after the girl's demand, followed by a growling deep in his throat. "Why? Tch, you need to ask why? You're weak and don't deserve a beast of that kind of power."_

"_Oh, and you do?" He kicked her hard in the side for that remark and she fell back, holding her arms around the definite broken rib and whimpered quietly. She was sweating, and she could hear the other two boys snickering behind the team's captain. Her dark and soulless eyes were fixed on the cold, concrete floor until the crouched figure of the abusive teen invaded her quickly blurring vision. _

"_Do you think it's smart to offend me?" He waited for an answer, even though he knew this one wouldn't give an answer to anything he asked of her. The silence dragged on, interrupted only by the girl's harsh breathing, before he stood up and walked back to the door. He turned his face back over his shoulder, watching the pathetic heap on the ground that was near to collapsing in pain. "Think about your place in this team. Remember, you belong to _us_." He whirled back around and left the room, the other two boys filing out after him and closing the door. _

_The girl was engulfed in darkness. She'd failed again, she couldn't please them. She shut her eyes tight against the flow of tears she knew was coming and swung her fist at the wall beside her. Searing pain coursed through her hand and body, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered to her in this place anymore._

"Wow, I can't believe this!"

"Yeah, I can't wait!"

"Are you gonna enter?"

"Course I am, what about you?"

"Me? Nah, I don't think I'd get very far with the competitors they have in those things."

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Tyson leaned forwards in his desk, almost falling off the front, and tried to peer over at what two of his classmates were ogling at so excitedly.

"Oh Tyson, you haven't heard?" one blonde-haired boy spun around in his chair to face him.

Tyson stared at him, puzzled, and tried to think of something he may have forgotten about. There was a new game coming out in the arcade that week, but it didn't sound so interestingthat it would have these two getting all worked up about it. Not coming up with anything he turned back to them. "No, heard what?"

The two boys exchanged glances and looked back to him. The American kid with the black hair with red tips and gold eyes named Alex leaned his arm on the back of his chair and began to explain. "There's a tournament coming up in about a month's time. Are you sure you haven't heard of it?" Tyson's eyes lit up then.

"Wait, I think I heard about that. I'm supposed to be going to see Mr Dickinson about something this afternoon, that must be it." He paused and frowned before continuing. "But I don't really know anything about it."

Alex shrugged and produced a flyer he must have picked up in a shop. "It's actually out of town, but it's supposed to be real big. Not as big as the ones you've been to probably, but I've heard alot of the best teams from Japan will be going. I know a lot of people would love to see the Bladebreakers back together for it."

"Heh, well who wouldn't? But we all know that I'm the one everyone wants to see," Tyson grinned and leaned back in his chair. The two boys sighed and chuckled at their classmate. Tyson opened an eye and glanced at them. "What?" Alex only shook his head at the midnight-haired blader.

"Tyson, will you stop showing off and _try _to keep your mind on the work? We're supposed to be doing this in pairs remember?" Kenny grumbled and pulled his friend by the collar back into his own desk. Tyson looked back at the board at the front of the room where the 10 questions they were supposed to be solving were, then down at the Chief's book.

"You look like you're doing pretty well on your own chief," he said and jumped up and over to Alex's desk again. "So tell me more about this tourni Alex."

Alex grinned at Tyson and closed his blank book. "I thought this would get you interested."

"Yeah well, what can I say?" Tyson said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"To be honest, I don't know too much about it. But it's supposed to be pretty tough so it'll be fought in teams in a best-of-three format. I'd like to get a team for myself, but if guys like you enter then I'll probably be out in the first round-" Alex stopped talking suddenly as the two boys heard tapping on a desk at the front of the room and noticed that everyone in the class had their heads turned and were staring at them.

"Now if Alex and Tyson are quite finished maybe we could get back to geography?" Miss Concaine said impatiently.

"Eh heh, sorry Miss C. My bad," Tyson said and slunk back to his own desk.

* * *

It was a beautiful day.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing…but the Chairman of the BBA had other things on his mind. There was a knock on the door of the room he was in, followed by the sound of his receptionist's voice. He smiled and stood up from his desk, reaching for the wooden cane beside him.

"Ah Tyson, I'm glad you're here," Mr Dickinson greeted as the receptionist let the World Champion into his office.

"No problem Mr D. What's this tournament I've been hearing about?" Tyson asked as he plonked down onto a chair on the other side of the Chairman's desk.

"Well I see I can't keep anything from you, my boy," Mr Dickinson chuckled and continued. "I'm sure you've probably heard a fair deal about it already, and whether you enter or not is up to you. But I wanted to tell you I think it would be a good idea if you did."

Tyson cocked his head to one side and took the cap off his head. "Why's that?"

"I know it's not as important as the tournaments you've already participated in but it would be good for publicity if the world champion did enter. I know that may seem a tad shallow on the BBA's part, but I've already contacted Max, Rei and Kai and they were quite keen on coming back for another tournament."

"Really? Even Kai?" Tyson jumped up in his seat excitedly when he heard the names of his teammates.

"Well, Kai was a little hesitant, but I believe he did want to come. He eventually agreed to it." Mr Dickinson explained.

"Heh, well that's Kai for you," Tyson mumbled and slumped back into his chair. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment before nodding to himself with confidence. "Another tournament sounds great if the guys are coming back. But from the looks of the kids I know are entering it doesn't sound so hard. It'll be a breeze for me."

"Erm, well actually," Tyson opened his eyes and looked up at Mr Dickinson again as the old man wiped his forehead and Tyson wondered why he was so hesitant. "I think you may be overestimating your skills slightly."

"What? No way, I'm the world champion!" Mr Dickinson sighed at Tyson's outburst and signalled for him to calm down by holding up a pale hand and shaking his head.

"Please Tyson, I may be wrong, but your performance the other week against the _Japanese _champion was less than pleasing."

Tyson stared at the chairman disbelievingly then lowered his eyes to the desk before him. "I know," he mumbled.

"I'm not saying you're not good; just don't underestimate your opponents. Even if you don't see this tournament as important I think you should still take your opponents seriously," Mr Dickinson reached into his desk and pulled out a small card which he handed over to Tyson. The teen took it from the elderly man and read the name on it. He blinked a few times at it. The name on the card sounded familiar but he didn't know the address. "There's someone there who I think should be able to help you. Go and see them if you get the time."

Tyson eyed the man for a few moments before asking, with an aggravated tone to his voice, "Is that all?" Mr Dickinson nodded and the teen turned to leave.

"Oh and Tyson," Mr Dickinson called out. "Its not that I don't think you're capable, I just think that you may need a little help reaching your full potential."

Tyson didn't answer and left the room. Staring absent-mindedly at the card, he tried to remember where he had heard the name before. He wandered down a hallway and turned a corner, his thoughts elsewhere, and slammed straight into something very big. Papers went flying everywhere and after a few moments of remembering where he was, the trouble started.

"Hey kid, why don't you watch where you're going! Do you know how long it took me to get all that paperwork in order? And now I have to put it all back together!"

Tyson looked up into the eyes of a burly man who was screaming his head off at the fact that his stack of files had just been thrown to the ground. It was almost amusing; you could almost see the steam coming from his ears and beet red face. Almost, until the man jumped up and moved towards Tyson. "You're going to pay for that kid."

The teen sprung to his feet and away from the walking tomato. 'Oh er, sorry about that," Tyson blurted out. Uh oh, he didn't seem any happier to hear an apology. Tyson inched his way towards the wall and searched frantically for an escape route.

There! Passed the water fountain there was a door!

Sliding along the plaster wall, the man got closer to him. When he looked like he was about to dive, Tyson dashed around him and sprinted for his salvation and almost flew through the door. Slamming it behind him, he let out a sigh of relief and ignored the questioning stares he was receiving from the others in the building.

* * *

Tyson's POV

I admit, I was a little insulted by the fact that I, Tyson Kinomiya, World Champion Beyblader, was told I needed "a little help" with my beyblading skills. But only a little, I mean, it only took me a week before I even looked at that card again. But here I am, its Saturday morning, and I'm on my way to this…beyblade school.

I looked up at the street signs again. I really have no idea where I am, but it's not my fault if I'm lost. I'm just following the Chief so if we take a wrong turn, it's his fault

"Hey Tyson, there it is!" Kenny yells out excitedly. It's almost scary, but we have been lost for about an hour now.

"Ok Chief lets go! I bet I can beat you there," I gave him a light whack on the back and raced off. Hehe, Kenny's gonna eat my dust.

Normal POV

At the end of the street was a huge house. Actually, it looked more like two houses, one single story house connected to a two story house behind it. Kenny finally caught up to Tyson and latched onto his arm. Tyson turned to him and to stifled a laugh at how unsuited the kid was to exercise. "Are you sure this is the right place?" The navy-haired blader asked

After recovering some breath, Kenny examined the card in his hand and nodded. "It has to be, there's no other place like this around." They went back to gawking at the house and finally decided to go in. There were a few cars parked around the house, and Tyson knew the name on the gate was right on the end of his memory. They wandered down the path and were just about to knock on the door when it burst open and a little kid, probably about seven or eight years old, came flying through and almost bowling them over, but Tyson and Kenny jumped out of the way as he sped past them just in time.

"Mum! Mum! You should've seen it! I beybladed so good!" the kid cried as he headed for one of the cars on the road. The two teens poked their heads in the doorway and noted there were more tiny terrors in running about in there. They scrambled inside, narrowly missing another excited boy and girl, and stood by the wall. There were a few adults in there, probably the children's parents; all clustered around one older man. He was being thanked by the grateful mothers and fathers for taking their children away for the afternoon…or at least that's what the two teens figured they must have been doing. All the kids in the room looked to be on a permanent sugar fix.

"Um, excuse me sir," Kenny said once the elderly man was free. He turned to the newcomers and looked them up and down then smiled warmly to them.

"Ah, you must be Tyson Kinomiya. Stanley Dickenson phoned and told me you should be coming, but I was beginning to think you wouldn't," he spoke with a friendly voice and motioned them to come away from the doorway. "Welcome to the Toriyama Beyblade School."

Kenny's face lit up and he began to babble his thanks for allowing them in. Oh no. Tyson felt his heart drop to his feet in a quarter of a second. Now he remembered the name…

"Unfortunately, I'll be tied up with my own classes over the next few weeks so unless you want to be put in with the students I can't take you," Mr Toriyama said.

It couldn't be…

"But I do have someone else who can take you separately."

Please don't let it be…

"Aya! Would you come in here?"

Footsteps could be heard and the faint blast of music they could hear from upstairs stopped. A door in the back of the room opened and standing there was a teenage girl with a white ponytail and red and black bandana. Aya made a face at the sight of the two boys, then let go of the door handle and stumbled in, a mischievous grin planted firmly on her face. Kenny smiled and looked like he was about to float into the air and Tyson almost gagged.

"I thought you didn't like her Chief," Tyson whispered. Kenny blushed and quickly averted his eyes to the ground.

"I see Mr World Champ decided to show up," she said casually and received a harsh glare from her grandfather that silenced her.

"Erm, my _granddaughter _is qualified to help you. I believe you lot have met already." Mr Toriyama said while Kenny was nodding enthusiastically. "Good, then Aya can take you to get started. My next class is starting in 10 minutes so you'll have to forgive me for leaving."

Aya was standing before them, her arms folded over her chest and grinning slyly. "I was beginning to think you were too afraid to face me again Tyson."

Tyson growled but quickly put on his own sense of cockiness. "For your information, I didn't even remember that this place was yours. I forgot about you after I beat you last time," he stated.

"What?"

Kenny looked between the two frantically and jumped between them. "No fighting! We're meant to be working together now!"

Aya shut the door behind her and hurried over to stand behind Tyson and Kenny. Inside her room was a glass shelf full of trophies, medallions and photos. The two boys leaned over it, wondering how she could even have that many awards. They weren't all from beyblading, but there sure were a hell of a lot of them.

"How long have you been getting these for Aya?" Kenny asked.

The 14-year-old girl bent down and pointed at a trophy with a gold figure and soccer on the top. "That's my first one; I got it when I was seven." She indicated a certificate for a science award. "That was two years ago," and then she waved her hand broadly at the various beyblade awards "Don't even ask about them, but most of them are pretty old."

They let their eyes wander over the case again and settled on a photo of four teenagers- three boys and one girl. "Who are they?" Tyson asked.

Aya leaned in then made a small face. "Oh, that's my old team. Most of the awards I have were from when I was with them, but I haven't seen those guys in ages."

Tyson stood up and looked around the room. They had come down some stairs to get there, and he had noticed that it was a converted basement. Aya had said something about it being too noisy upstairs with all the kids that came for classes, which was why they were down there. The walls were covered with posters and some framed pictures, and in the corner of the room was a double bed. He almost laughed when he noticed the small wolf plushie sitting next to the pillows.

"Got a problem there Tyson?" Aya asked with a little attitude in her voice. Tyson snapped his head up and spun around, shaking his head. He didn't know Aya that well, but this girl was scary. "Good, then you'll stop staring at my childhood toys."

She dropped to sit on her bed and waited for the others to sit also. Kenny took the chair at the desk, but Tyson remained standing. Aya eyed him for a moment but shrugged it off. "We're going to start your practice tomorrow, and I heard that your teammates are coming by the end of next week. That means its one week of you and me Tyson, two with your team, then you're off for this tournament of yours. I only have three rules. One, I'm in charge. Two, you do what I tell you. Three, I'm in charge."

"You said that twice," Tyson said.

"That means it's twice as important than the other rule," Aya said with that evil looking grin on her face again.

Tyson shrunk back a bit. He could tell he wasn't going to like working with this girl. He let his stormy blue eyes wander over her and the look she was giving him, then he spotted the black beyblade on the bedside table behind her. What would possess Mr Dickinson to make this…freak the trainer of the World Champion was beyond him. But he was seriously tempted to leave a little "surprise" in the man's desk the next time he saw him.


	4. Cats and Dogs

I'm back with another chapter, and I'm very pleased with myself because I made the 10 page mark cheers First off, I would like to say I really like review XD

**Phasmatis of priscus dea Isis: **Thanks for reviewing, but there isn't actually going to be a pairing in this story...well if you look closely you might see one forming. The pairing will be inthe sequel.

Disclaimer: I don't ownbeyblade or any of its characters, only any OCs

Chapter 4

Gold eyes scanned the surrounding area and the sensitive ears picked up the hurried whispers about him. He tried to ignore the two giggling girls behind him but thanks to…past experiences he was more than a little afraid of any lurking fangirls. It was a dangerous place to be with so many people around, all eyes watching him. He knew he stood out like black and white, but the boy had to do what he had to do, and that involved being in a place like this.

"Rei!"

His ears pricked and he turned to spot one of the few people he actually wanted to see running towards him. Rei sighed thankfully that his teammate had found him. He was in no mood to be wandering around an airport death trap lost again.

"Hey Max, long time no see," the Chinese boy said once his friend was done running people over and dodged before the hyper blonde could jump him. Rei grinned, revealing a pearly fang, and noticed two other familiar faces in the crowd making their way towards him. Heads turned and for a moment the Neko-jin was afraid some rabid fangirl of their captain would jump the bluenette. "Hi chief, hey Kai," he paused and looked around once again, searching for the missing Bladebreaker. "Where's Tyson?"

"Hi Rei. Tyson's not here," Kenny said.

Rei chuckled "What, couldn't drag him out of bed today?"

Kenny forced a laugh and shook his head. "Actually…he was up at 6am this morning.

"Haha, nice one chief," Rei laughed and waited to hear the truth. He looked at the faces of each of his teammates.

Silence.

"Oh…you were serious." Kenny nodded. "Ok, so what could make Tyson get up _that _early?"

"He met this girl…"

* * *

A click, then the all-to-familiar sound of a rip cord being thread through the launcher and winding a beyblade back into place. Two feet spread apart followed by two arms rising with the launcher in their hands, ready to let go for another match.

"Get up Tyson."

Tyson sat on the ground, staring up at the clouds passing by and purposely ignoring the girl. He turned his attention to her eventually and stared disbelieving at what was fast appearing to be his own personal slave driver.

"Get up," Aya repeated.

"How many times are we going to have to do this?" Tyson sighed, but still made no move to stand up. He had his hands behind him in the dirt, and Dragoon laying just a metre away.

"Until you get it right! Now get your Dragoon and do what I tell you," Aya was getting impatient. She waved her custom launcher at him while she spoke and glared at him until he groaned and climbed back onto his feet, brushing off the dirt and grass he'd been resting in.

"Fine," he grumbled and loaded Dragoon into place. "But I'm going to beat you this time."

"You should've done that hours ago Tyson. Then we wouldn't have to be out here in the hot sun," Aya said.

The blades shot into the dish for the sixteenth time that day and Dragoon attacked almost instantly while Barrax easily evaded.

"Tyson, if you're trying to beat me just to get out of here then think again." The two blades collided and grinded against each other. Barrax pushed the other to the edge of the dish until Dragoon broke away and smashed into its opponent. "Don't you think that's kind of the reason why you're here? Because you need to learn to keep your mind on the battle."

"I already can. The reason I want to leave is because you're one of the single most annoying people I have ever met," Tyson retorted. Aya snorted and brushed the insult off. Weak insult. That was Tyson's problem; at that stupid exhibition match he had been more interested in showing off to the thousands of people in the stands, now he was just trying to insult her. She groaned at how tedious this was getting, but she had a job to do and it was to get this…boy ready for a tournament.

Barrax circled the dish while Dragoon sat in the centre, looking for a chance to attack the silver blade. Tyson was beginning to think about the match now that Aya had refused to continue anything that would become another shouting match. They'd already one to many of those today.

"Now Barrax!" Aya commanded for the black beyblade to attack full speed at her opponent.

"Not so fast," Tyson smirked and Dragoon angled its base to dodge the other blade, but it wasn't quite enough and Barrax just scraped the edge of the other beyblade, sending it skidding a little but recovering quickly.

But there was something strange…

A gold light illuminated the dish, blinding the two teens momentarily and making them cover their faces with their arms and shield their eyes. The wind picked up, and a flock of white birds behind the house frantically took to flight, a fluttering sensation leaving feathers drifting everywhere. There was a low, strange growl, followed by a threatening snarl. Tyson forced open his eyes at the sound of a shocked yelp, straining against the light to see Aya staring wide-eyed at her own bitbeast.

"What's going on?" Tyson cried but Aya could only inch away slowly from the bitbeast. A look of anxious fear was frozen on her face as she trembled on the spot from the bitbeast.

There was another shout and they spun to see four teens glued to the entranceway, just as the black wolf howled fiercely and lunged at the invaders.

* * *

The group of four boys walked down the street following the Chief. They didn't know where they were going, but Kenny had already told them of how Mr Dickinson had organised for the team to have a trainer before the tournament began and that she had said for them to bring their beyblades because training would begin right away.

"Hasn't this girl ever heard of a thing called jetlag?" Max had asked.

Sure, at first they had thought Kenny was kidding. But after they had gone to the dojo with their things and Kenny began hassling them to hurry up, they weren't going to think that again. Max had complained a bit, Rei had too, and Kenny had tried to explain over and over what this girl was like. Kai wasn't looking forward to it either, but that was more because of the fact that he didn't like the idea of having someone else tell him what to do unlike the others who just weren't bothered to train on their first day.

As they made their way towards this beyblade school Kenny had told them about, they could hear the faint clashes of metal-on-metal of a beybattle that only got more noticeable the closer they came.

"Sounds like Tyson's having a hard time if its true what you said Chief," Max said and pulled out his beyblade. "Just wait until this girl gets a look at Draciel though. That should show her!"

Rei took out his own beyblade and stared at it. 'Same for Driger,' he thought and smiled faintly to himself. No one was going to take him down. As his gold eyes began to rest on the white tiger, he barely even noticed the faint glow it was giving off. But after a few short moments, his eyes snapped back into focus and the wind began to pick up. A flock of terrified birds flew overhead, coming from the direction that they were heading in. He looked around at his teammates and noticed that Kenny, Max and Kai had all picked up their pace and were heading for a house that had a bright gold light radiating from its front. They heard a cry and ran.

"What's happening over there?" Rei called out to no one in particular, thinking of the strange reaction Driger was having just as this started.

"I dunno," Max replied, his blonde hair whipping at his face in the increasing wind. "But isn't that the place we're supposed to be going to?"

Charging down the road they reached the house and skidded to a stop at the entranceway. They spotted two figures standing by a beydish, both with their arms over their faces. Tyson was immediately recognised, but towering over the girl was some sort of bitbeast. A black wolf with gold armour on its head and legs, immense wings and fangs bared at the girl took a step towards her while she stumbled back.

The four boys could only stare at the scene before them, not a thought going through their head but _what the hell is going on here?_

"Tyson!" rang the clear voice that snapped all heads toward its owner. Kai was about to move forwards after gaining the blader's attention. He had no idea what he was to do, but he had to stop whatever was happening. That girl in there was in a seriously dangerous place in front of that beast.

But the wolf spirit turned its crimson burning eyes onto the Bladebreaker captain and snarled, but it did not move until it spotted a raven-haired Neko-jin. Its eyes turned to slits and it bared its fangs at the neko. Letting out a vicious howl it lunged at the boy.

"Rei look out!" The neko-jin jumped back just as the girl leapt between him and the bitbeast. "Barrax no!" she cried and the wolf halted its assault.

It was a standoff between the two. The winged-wolf stared her down, snarling but not attempting to attack her. The girl stood her ground even though she was trembling ferociously. She held out the bit chip and regained some of her courageous cover.

"Barrax, return now," she demanded.

Barrax raised his head in defiance, but after what seemed a harsh forever dragging on, he let out a howl and obeyed, leaving small balls of light floating in his absence. The wind died down and the six teens were left staring blank and wide-eyed.

The girl fell to her knees, breathing harshly. Tyson ran over and dropped down beside her, resting his hand on her shaking back.

"Aya? Aya are you alright?" he asked urgently. Kenny hurried over to her also, clutching his laptop to his chest, still unsure of whether or not it was safe. The other three exchanged glances and stayed put

Max took a hesitant step forward and outstretched a hand towards them. "Hey, is she ok?" he asked.

"Aya please say something!" Kenny cried. Aya had her face in her hands and was shuddering violently as if she were crying. They waited for a response.

Silence.

* * *

There was a tapping on the door of the bedroom just before it opened, followed by the sight of Tyson's smiling face and the glass of water he was carrying. Aya sat back on her bed and made herself more comfortable.

"Hey Aya, how are you feeling now?" he asked and placed the water on the bedside table.

"If you're referring to what happened before, then shut up. I was just caught a little off guard by what Barrax did," she responded angrily.

Max looked at the girl then turned to Tyson. "She's fine."

"Oh good, wouldn't want to think she was angry or anything," Tyson said sarcastically while Kenny shook his head at his friend's immaturity.

It was getting to be late afternoon, but no one had thought about leaving after the incident with Barrax. Aya's grandfather had taken her to her room and after getting a response out of her he had let the other boys in reluctantly. The whole time Aya had denied that anything was wrong, only saying she was caught off guard and getting more aggravated each time she was asked if she was okay.

"What exactly happened back there anyway?" Tyson asked and plonked himself down in the chair by the desk. Max and Kenny were sitting next to Aya on the bed, while Rei was lost in his own thoughts and Kai was in his usual stance and leaning against a wall.

Aya spared a glance at Rei then turned her eyes to her hands in her lap. "I don't know," she said softly.

"Driger…" Rei whispered to himself. The others heard the Chinese boy's word and turned to him and he raised his eyes at the sudden attention he had brought to himself. "Driger," he repeated. "He had a reaction just as that whole thing started."

"Hn, you're just figuring that out now?" Kai said with a small smirk on his face and eyes closed. It was the first time he'd spoken all afternoon.

"What do you mean Kai?" Max asked.

"Think about it. Rei's tiger, Aya's wolf. They're like cats and dogs, they're going to fight." Kai explained.

Aya sprung off the bed and onto her feet. "So that was your fault!" she yelled, waving a finger wildly at Rei as if she were talking to a child. "You're what upset my Barrax! You and your Driger."

"Aya, don't blame Rei for that," Tyson attempted to reason with her and took a step forward.

"Don't start with me Tyson, it was all that filthy neko-jin's fault."

"Filthy neko-jin?" Rei growled. "I could say the same about you ookami-jin."

"What the heck is an ookami-jin?" Max whispered to Kenny.

"It's the same as a neko-jin, but it's a person with wolf blood in their veins rather than cat's," Rei explained but kept his eyes on Aya.

"Is that true Aya?" Kenny asked and stood up off the bed.

Aya turned hard dark eyes on the boy and glared threateningly at him. "Yes, do you have a problem with it?"

"Uh, n-no," Kenny stuttered while shrinking back down onto the bed.

"Hey, don't go taking everything out on everyone else," Tyson said. "It's not our fault you lost control of your bitbeast."

"What?"

"You heard me. You couldn't handle your bitbeast and he went crazy. Now you're trying to find an excuse to cover it up,"

"How can you say that Tyson?" Aya hissed. "Barrax is stronger than Dragoon could ever be. You have no idea what its like to have power over him."

Tyson smirked. "So is that why you were so terrified out there?"

"Tyson…" Kai said lowly. The others could only watch as Tyson and Aya fought, but Tyson's last comment was too much. Kai had had enough. True, that girl had lost control of her bitbeast, but she did regain it and managed to call it back before any damage was done. And to carry on the way Tyson was at that moment was not acceptable. "Why don't you just mind your own business."

"But Kai, she's the one-"

"I said shut up."

Tyson was about to protest, but the looks his teammates were giving him warned him not to. Kai had fixed him with a harsh stare that told Tyson not to say another word.

"Get out," came the soft whisper.

"Aya, are you sure?" Max asked and went to place a hand on her shoulder. She hit the offending touch away and kept her eyes down, hidden by her white bangs.

"Just get out, all of you."

Max cast a worried glance to Tyson, who shrugged and headed for the door.

"Fine," Tyson said casually. "If she doesn't want our help then we don't want to give it. Come on guys."

Rei left directly after Tyson, followed by Kenny and finally Max. Kai stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder at the girl. She had enough willpower to reclaim that Barrax of hers, so why had she lost control of it so easily in the first place? Kai didn't bother to ask, or even give it another thought, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Talk about touchy. She didn't have to go and lose it at us," Tyson said when they were all upstairs. He rounded back to face his teammates, who were all staring at him. "Hey, you guys can't really think it's my fault."

"It's not that we think it's your fault Tyson," Kenny started.

"Its just that it wasn't very fair to say she was afraid like that. She didn't mean for that to happen," Max explained. Tyson just stared at the two in disbelief.

"But you guys heard what she said to Rei!" he complained. "She insulted us."

"You insulted her too Tyson," Rei said.

"Rei, I thought you of all people would understand what I'm talking about!" Tyson was starting to lose it. Didn't any of them care about this?

"Tyson, I don't like her, but she couldn't help what happened. Don't you remember when Kevin tricked me into losing Driger? That was the worst possible feeling a person could have, and the same thing could've happened to her." Rei stopped and growled. "You just went ahead and made fun of her for being afraid."

"I must say, I was afraid too," Kenny added. Tyson shot a look at the Chief and the boy shrunk back for the 2nd time that day. He looked around; noone was backing him up on this. Letting out a defeated groan, he headed back to the door.

"Fine I'll go apologise. Will that make you happy?" he said.

Max and Kenny nodded enthusiastically and he sighed again.

* * *

Aya rolled over on her bed onto her side to face the opposite wall as Tyson walked in.

"Didn't I tell you to get lost?" was the first thing she said.

"Uh, well I wanted to apologise," Tyson said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Did you now? I thought it was because your team was telling you to." She was still facing the wall.

Tyson could feel his eye twitch, this girl just irritated him so much. He took a deep breath and tried to keep his cool though, he knew fighting wasn't going to get them anywhere, and they _did _have to work together for the next few weeks. "Aya, I'm sorry ok. I shouldn't have said that about you. You did get Barrax to do what you wanted in the end. I guess that's all that matters."

"Hmph"

"Aya, I really am sorry. I shouldn't have said anything about you being afraid. I mean, I was a little scared too."

Aya turned to face him slightly, watching him over her shoulder. "Really?"

"Uh, yeah,"

Aya blinked a few times then sat up on her bed, staring at her feet. "Heh, you were more than a little weren't you. But I guess I have to forgive you, I won't get paid if you guys get angry and don't come."

"Paid?" Tyson almost choked on his own words. "You're getting paid for this?"

"Sure am," Aya smirked.

"…how much?"

"Enough by the hour is all you need to know."

"You mean that's why you've had me here all day? The longer I have to suffer the more money you get!" Tyson cried.

Aya laughed and launched herself onto her feet. "'Fraid so Tyson."

"But…" he was speechless. Why was she getting paid to boss him around? It wasn't fair! She laughed again, slung an arm around his shoulders and opened the door.

"Forget it Tyson."

The Bladebreakers saw them come out of the room, Aya looking quite satisfied with herself and Tyson dumbfounded.

"Are you okay now Aya?" Kenny asked carefully, afraid he would be snapped at again. She smiled at him sympathetically and let go of Tyson.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Sorry Kenny," she said. Kenny sighed gratefully and nodded his forgiveness.

"So what now guys? We can't just stand around here for the rest of the day," Max asked.

Kenny watched Aya, waiting for the thoughtful expression she always seem to give when she was thinking on what to do next.

"You know Aya," Tyson began and she gave him a questioning look. "Barrax isn't really stronger than Dragoon."

A challenging smirk crept onto her face and she placed her hands on her hips. "Wanna bet?"

The room was dark. Opening the curtains of the single window, she gazed out at the glistening lights of the French city. They seemed strangely luminous tonight, reflecting off the water drenched roads and the rain. Along with these lights, in the dark eyes that once illustrated sorrow, there was a glimmer of hope. She harshly jerked the curtains closed again and made for the small bag sitting on her bed.

_He stirred._

_She froze._

_The teen with black hair, almost two years older, turned in his sleep and buried his face further into the pillow. She let her muscles relax and wrapped her fingers around the bag's straps. At the door, she stopped and chanced a glance at her roommate. He was so vulnerable, she could attack him now and be gone with him._

_No._

_That would mean she would have to deal with the other two then. She might be lucky enough to get rid of this one, but the others would undoubtedly kill her. She took a look at the clock above the beds, her heightened sense of vision allowing her to see it clearly even in the surrounding darkness. _

_1.47am._

_She stepped out of the room and silently shut the door. She waited a few moments but heard nothing, signalling the all-clear for her to go. Walking through the shadows, caught up in her own thoughts of freedom, she didn't even notice the small coffee table by her legs. She kicked her shin on it and winced at the small sensation of pain and the scraping sound it made on the floor. _

"_Where do you think you're going?" came the deep and menacing question._

"_O-out," she stuttered and cringed at her shaking voice. No, she couldn't show fear, not now of all times. She spun around to face the invader but was caught by the cuff of her shirt and roughly thrown to the ground._

"_Out huh? Not likely."_

_Her heart sank. Why did it have to be this one of all people? The giant, the monster, the one that could break her in half like a twig._

"_Tsk tsk. So disrespectful to us." _

_Her blood ran cold at the presence of this more sinister voice. 'No,' she thought. 'No, he was asleep. He couldn't have been asleep and heard me.'_

"_Bring her here. She needs to be taught a lesson once and for all," the same voice said._

_The first teen reached out for the girl but she slapped his hands away._

"_Why are you doing this?" she cried. "Why can't you just let me leave?"_

_She watched them frantically but neither said anything, just watched her with their accusing eyes. She lowered her face, biting back the tears that were making their way to her eyes._

"_Oh…I get it," she said, trying a new tactic. "You need me. That's why you don't want me to go."_

"_What was that?" The dark haired teen asked irritably. _

"_Ever since I won that stupid tournament you've been telling me I'm weak. I think you just want to make me stay because you know I'm the strongest on this _team._" She spat the last word out and continued. "You know I could beat and take everything from you, so you're trying to keep me down."_

_A boot to the stomach was her reward for standing up for herself, followed by a silver blade at her throat._

"_You want to take me on? Try it you worthless bitch," he hissed. She could feel his breath on her face and shivered. Who was she kidding? She couldn't beat him. She stayed silent, and tried to hold back the growing feeling of nausea in her body._

"_I didn't think so."_

Phew, you tired after all that reading? PLEASE REVIEW


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